The Great Planner Debate

If you are like 98% of Americans, then your New Year’s Resolutions probably included something like this, “In 2015 I will be more organized.” Am I right?! Well, if so it’s great to know you are not alone 🙂

I believe that the foundation for organization is a well-functioning planner- and that can mean a little something different for everyone. Starting in December, as I began researching my 2015 planner, I got into what I like to call the “great planner debate”- right up there with the presidential ones I think! ha! It’s both a blessing and a curse that there are so many great planners out on the market now, because it gives you tons of choices but can also be rather overwhelming! I thought today I would share with you a few of the planners that were my contenders for 2015, and then which one I picked! Hopefully this helps you find a planner that is perfect for you!

1. Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda (18 months)– I’m just going to be honest… I hate 18 month planners! I never want to keep mine that long, I’m a yearly girl, so I feel like 6 months are always wasted. I used a Lilly planner throughout college and loved it! However, with my crazy “to-do” lists now, between Junior League, the blog, and my personal life I found that there were starting to be more post-it’s on my week than appointments and I could barely see my week! Verdict: I think this planner is much better suited for a student than a young professional, although it’s one of the cutest on the market.

2. Erin Condren Life Planner– There is so much buzz around these planners that I felt I really needed to give them some serious consideration. The big difference in the Life Planer vs. most others is that your day is set up vertically rather than horizontally and broken into morning, noon, and night sections. While this may be great for someone who runs their own business, I have a work calendar on my computer at the office that keeps track of my 9-5 commitments; I really use my planner to manage my extra-curriculars as well as my to-do list. Verdict: Although there are a lot of ways to make this work (#lifeplannerhacks), I think I may consider it again after my presidency in the league is over and my commitments shrink back.

3. Plum Paper Designs Family Planner– When I first heard the words “family planner” I shied away from considering this planner. However, when I researched more I found that, while the format of this planner is similar to the Life Planner (it’s days are also vertical), what differentiated it was the 7 boxes that split up your day were completely customizable! That means you can have a space for all your needs (like my crazy person to-do lists)! If you have kids you can also personalize a box for each of their needs/schedules. Verdict: Although getting used to a vertical orientation may take some time, the customization of this planner instantly made it one of my top contenders.

4. Simplified Planner by Emily Ley– The Simplified Planner has so much buzz around it I couldn’t leave it out of my search! Each day has an entire day devoted to it, and gives you ample space for your schedule, as well as a dedicated to-do list section. Althought I loved the way this planner was organized, the size was a big concern for me. I carry my planner in my purse ever day, and this planner is significantly larger in dimension and weight than most planners on the market. Verdict: This planner would be perfect if you work from home and could keep it at your desk.

5. The Day Designer by Whitney English– The final candidate is the Day Designer, and it is very similar to the Simplified Planner in terms of set up. Each day takes up an entire page including an area for your to-do list. However, Whitney does add motivational quotes and goal setting sections to each day/week/month as well for those of you who like to plan for a long-term vision. Once again, the size was a concern for me as this is not a commutable planner and I read several reviews that the coils weren’t very strong if you were to throw it in your bag. Verdict: Once again, this planner is optimized for those that leave their planners in their home offices and don’t commute with it.

And the winner is… Plum Paper Designs Family Planner! I couldn’t resist the option to customize the 7 different boxes per day and think it will really allow me to zone in on all the commitments and to-do’s that I have daily. My planner should be arriving this week and then I plan on doing an in-depth and full review of it! Stay tuned!

Hey y'all! I'm Gentry, a self-proclaimed "Florida Belle" who lives on coffee and champagne and tosses smiles around like candy! I work in corporate retail by day and blog by night and in-between I'm planning a wedding while doing all the things! I love tying a bow on everyday of this sweet life- come join me in all the fun!

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This site does use affiliate links of which I may make a small commission if you click through. I only post products I believe in or use myself- I would never post anything of which this isn't true. The small profit I make goes back to making Girl Meets Bow the best little blog it can be! :) Any gifted items are denoted "℅" and any sponsored posts will be disclosed. I strive to be transparent to my readers and 100% honest! Thank you for supporting Girl Meets Bow!